I’m not sure why I thought of this today. Maybe it’s because The Share the Chimp Love heart is a photo of Missy and Jody kissing or maybe it’s because I was watching Missy and Foxie play today, or it could be because Debbie posted a photo of Annie and Missy on Instagram and Facebook earlier.
In any case, you may not have heard the story of how Missy almost didn’t make it to sanctuary. I use the phrase, “second chance at life” when talking about chimpanzees going to sanctuaries, but for Missy she very literally got a second chance at living.
About a month before the chimpanzees left Buckshire in Pennsylvania (the private facility that owned them and leased them to different laboratories for decades), all of the chimps had health check-ups. During these check-ups, the veterinarian discovered that Foxie and Missy had uterine tumors.
Buckshire quickly arranged for both of them to have hysterectomies. The surgeries went fine, but when they were transporting Missy back to Buckshire, she crashed. She was brought back to the veterinarian under manual ventilation and had a very weak pulse. From what we were told, they “worked on her for 10 minutes and brought her back.”
We didn’t find out about this until later, and it came as a shock to know that she was so close to not having her chance to enjoy a sanctuary home. It remains a reminder to me that each moment of sanctuary, each moment of life, is invaluable.
Missy seems to have embraced this notion too. She certainly has a special zest for life.
Here is a look back at some photos of Missy over the last few years:
Missy in the transport cage on the truck that transported the chimpanzees from Pennsylvania to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest:
Missy (left) and Burrito on the day they arrived to Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (Missy’s belly is shaved, and you can see the scar from her hysterectomy that was done before she came:
being groomed by her BFF Annie:
in action – leaping towards Jamie:
Missy (left) and Annie demonstrating chimpanzee smiles (notice their top teeth do not show at all):
doing a headstand before she lays down in her nest:
looking a bit like a football player as she runs bipedal back to the greenhouse with a mouth and hands full of food:
walking on the fire hose like a tightrope walker:
riding the bamboo down after climbing up, with Jody looking on from below:
a very familiar sight: Missy running across Young’s Hill
at the top of a post near the tall bamboo:
just hanging out:
using a tool to get treats from the “termite mound” on Young’s Hill
playing a raucous game of chase with Foxie (Foxie’s on the left):
with all of her activity, Missy does make time to rest too:
We have a special way for you to celebrate Missy and all of the lives of the chimpanzees by Sharing the Chimp Love this month. We’re now 21% towards our goal of raising $10,000! Watch and share the Share the Chimp Love video below and on the fundraising website.
Thank you to those who have made donations and set up fundraising pages! Check out the donors, their messages of love, and the fundraisers on the Share the Chimp Love site.
